In the townships and rural areas of South Africa, the fear of the Tokoloshe is so real that it affects the interior architecture of homes. Many people raise their beds on bricks, elevating them unusually high off the ground. The reason? The Tokoloshe is short and cannot climb, so this is the only way to sleep safely.
The Tokoloshe is a malevolent spirit from Zulu and Xhosa folklore, created by a malicious sangoma (shaman) to harm an enemy. It is described as a small, hairy creature, similar to a gremlin or a grotesque teddy bear, sometimes with a bony crest on its head or a hole in its skull, and a disproportionately large penis. It is mischievous at best and deadly at worst, capable of causing diseases, stealing money, provoking divorces, and, according to belief, raping women while they sleep.
To create a Tokoloshe, it is said that a witch must dig up a recent corpse, drive a hot stake into its head, and shrink the body through dark magic, tearing out its eyes and tongue so that it cannot obey anyone but its master. It is a pocket zombie designed for domestic evil. Although outsiders view it as superstition, the Tokoloshe is often used to explain inexplicable misfortune in impoverished communities. If someone loses their job or suddenly falls ill, 'they have been sent a Tokoloshe'. It is the embodiment of neighborhood envy and urban witchcraft, a small terror that hides under the bed and bites the toes of the unsuspecting.